PHOTOGRAPHS BY CHRISTOPHER GREGORY FOR TIME
Wu
Changhua
BUSINESS
Back in 1990, when Wu
Changhua first started
documenting environmental
issues as a young
photojournalist in Beijing,
she thought it was “all about
planting trees and keeping
the streets clean.” Few
policymakers in China knew
any different, prioritizing
unbridled growth at any
cost. As she moved into
business and advocacy, Wu
learned fast, and her patient
cajoling helped shepherd
the rehabilitation of the
world’s No. 2 economy
from an environmental
pariah to a champion of
green issues on the global
stage. It involved tact. While
international institutions
publicly scolded China for
its belching factories and
toxic waterways, Wu worked
with officials behind the
scenes to help infuse global
standards into industry
and urban planning. “For a
long time we were ignored,
marginalized, but now we’re
pretty much mainstream,”
says Wu. Now CEO of
the Future Innovation
Center, Wu continues
to advise governments
and corporations on
sustainability strategy and
the low-carbon economy.
ÑCharlie Campbell
CLIMATE OPTIMISTS
